Aaron Hedquist
@aarhed.bsky.social
Principal Gameplay Engineer at @polyarcgames.com
🐭🗡️ Moss: Book II
🕶️ VR / MR
⚽️ Soccer
🎲 Board Games
🌱 Plant foods
🐀 Gym rat
👽 Sci-fi
Also making #Onwords, an adventure word game
🐭🗡️ Moss: Book II
🕶️ VR / MR
⚽️ Soccer
🎲 Board Games
🌱 Plant foods
🐀 Gym rat
👽 Sci-fi
Also making #Onwords, an adventure word game
#Onwords dev blog
Another graphics pass, added some fog, lights and turned the clouds back on.
Also improved the algorithm that gives you new letters. It now tries to balance vowels and consonants so you aren’t stranded in a vowel-less corner.
I almost got all the coins!
#indiedev #gamedev
Another graphics pass, added some fog, lights and turned the clouds back on.
Also improved the algorithm that gives you new letters. It now tries to balance vowels and consonants so you aren’t stranded in a vowel-less corner.
I almost got all the coins!
#indiedev #gamedev
November 7, 2025 at 4:44 PM
#Onwords dev blog
🕚 Very overdue for a post! Another ✨ UI overhaul, and new mechanics coming online.
This is a puzzle room prototype, where you pick up letters as you put them down! This way you can strategize for your next word, and unlock doors with word locks. 📖🔒
#indiedev #gamedev
🕚 Very overdue for a post! Another ✨ UI overhaul, and new mechanics coming online.
This is a puzzle room prototype, where you pick up letters as you put them down! This way you can strategize for your next word, and unlock doors with word locks. 📖🔒
#indiedev #gamedev
July 8, 2025 at 2:04 AM
March 19, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Some highlights from some of the wacky and fun controllers at alt.ctrl #gdc
The samurai one was cool, you just partially unsheath to kill enemies along the line. All were really inventive
The samurai one was cool, you just partially unsheath to kill enemies along the line. All were really inventive
March 19, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Some highlights from some of the wacky and fun controllers at alt.ctrl #gdc
The samurai one was cool, you just partially unsheath to kill enemies along the line. All were really inventive
The samurai one was cool, you just partially unsheath to kill enemies along the line. All were really inventive
Am I staying in San Fran.. or Tokyo?
March 16, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Am I staying in San Fran.. or Tokyo?
#Onwords dev log 🔠🐧
Been working UX and progression. Now you can level up and earn "challenges" which give you a set of letters to make a word with, giving you a score bonus if you do.
Also added more UI to clearly show the word you are making, and a list of your bonuses.
#indiedev #gamedev
Been working UX and progression. Now you can level up and earn "challenges" which give you a set of letters to make a word with, giving you a score bonus if you do.
Also added more UI to clearly show the word you are making, and a list of your bonuses.
#indiedev #gamedev
March 13, 2025 at 3:28 PM
#Onwords dev log 🔠🐧
...and here's a design comp of what kinds of upgrades I will be testing in my next build, along with some different design options. The idea is some 'upgrades' will cost points to acquire, allowing you to make a bet on your next word(s).
#indiedev #gamedev
...and here's a design comp of what kinds of upgrades I will be testing in my next build, along with some different design options. The idea is some 'upgrades' will cost points to acquire, allowing you to make a bet on your next word(s).
#indiedev #gamedev
February 17, 2025 at 4:22 AM
#Onwords dev log 🔠🐧
Been working hard on the game design! Here's my current ugly version of level upgrades. You can unlock/upgrade what are regexs based on phonemes (groups of letters that make phonics), which gives you a bonus if they are present in your word.
#indiedev #gamedev
Been working hard on the game design! Here's my current ugly version of level upgrades. You can unlock/upgrade what are regexs based on phonemes (groups of letters that make phonics), which gives you a bonus if they are present in your word.
#indiedev #gamedev
February 17, 2025 at 4:19 AM
#Onwords dev log 🔠🐧
This weekend I'm trying to iterate on the concept and look
Left: where I started over a year ago, very Tunic / Zelda.
Right: New version, more modern and clean, abstracted
#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
This weekend I'm trying to iterate on the concept and look
Left: where I started over a year ago, very Tunic / Zelda.
Right: New version, more modern and clean, abstracted
#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
January 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
#Onwords dev log 🔠🐧
This weekend I'm trying to iterate on the concept and look
Left: where I started over a year ago, very Tunic / Zelda.
Right: New version, more modern and clean, abstracted
#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
This weekend I'm trying to iterate on the concept and look
Left: where I started over a year ago, very Tunic / Zelda.
Right: New version, more modern and clean, abstracted
#screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
#onwords dev log 🔠🐧
More UX improvements! Now showing valid locations for letters that is context-aware. I think this will help people understand where they can go next, and the rules around "snaking" your words.
#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev
More UX improvements! Now showing valid locations for letters that is context-aware. I think this will help people understand where they can go next, and the rules around "snaking" your words.
#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev
January 11, 2025 at 11:57 PM
#onwords dev log 🔠🐧
More UX improvements! Now showing valid locations for letters that is context-aware. I think this will help people understand where they can go next, and the rules around "snaking" your words.
#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev
More UX improvements! Now showing valid locations for letters that is context-aware. I think this will help people understand where they can go next, and the rules around "snaking" your words.
#screenshotsaturday #indiedev #gamedev
Moss: Book II dev log #4 🐭 📖
Worked with a great animator to tune these reactions to handing Quill a weapon. This shows a small change as we noticed that her turning the moment you opened the inventory would stop her movement and interrupt the gameplay
@polyarcgames.com #vrdev #vr #gamedev
Worked with a great animator to tune these reactions to handing Quill a weapon. This shows a small change as we noticed that her turning the moment you opened the inventory would stop her movement and interrupt the gameplay
@polyarcgames.com #vrdev #vr #gamedev
January 9, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Moss: Book II dev log #4 🐭 📖
Worked with a great animator to tune these reactions to handing Quill a weapon. This shows a small change as we noticed that her turning the moment you opened the inventory would stop her movement and interrupt the gameplay
@polyarcgames.com #vrdev #vr #gamedev
Worked with a great animator to tune these reactions to handing Quill a weapon. This shows a small change as we noticed that her turning the moment you opened the inventory would stop her movement and interrupt the gameplay
@polyarcgames.com #vrdev #vr #gamedev
Meanwhile I’m looking at 2025 like
January 2, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Meanwhile I’m looking at 2025 like
Good pot-smashing is really satisfying, but in VR it is 👨🍳💋. Love that my smashing exuberance occasionally backfires with a "sir, if we do happen to tread on a mine, what do we do?". Maybe if there was a *dis*-comfort mode it would toss me into the air appropriately
#vrgaming
#vrgaming
January 2, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Good pot-smashing is really satisfying, but in VR it is 👨🍳💋. Love that my smashing exuberance occasionally backfires with a "sir, if we do happen to tread on a mine, what do we do?". Maybe if there was a *dis*-comfort mode it would toss me into the air appropriately
#vrgaming
#vrgaming